Instagram has over 500 million active users per month sharing more than 20 billion photos and videos. The platform has become one of the most popular social media sites and continues to add new features, like Instagram Stories and videos. With that kind of exposure, its no surprise that video marketing is on the rise.

More brands and corporations are beginning to leverage the massive audience available on Instagram in their marketing plans. But what makes a video marketing on Instagram different from other platforms and how can marketers leverage the platforms effectively?
Play to Your Audience
Every social media platform has its own culture and unique vibe. Instagram is all about telling a story and showing who you are. It provides a great place for fans to see a company’s personality. Brands need to know the Instagram audience in addition to their targeted segment within the platform.

While there are sponsored photos and videos on Instagram, the best brand content doesn’t look highly commercial. Partnering with influencers is one way to source content that aligns with your brand values and style without looking too professional. Having an influencer do a video take-over of your brand’s Instagram Stories is one great way to interject personality into your videos on Instagram. Featuring user-generated content is another option for sourcing clips of your brands fans and products in action.

Quality Over Quantity
Unlike on Snapchat, Instagram Stories can be edited more extensively before they are posted. Brands can still leverage the fun filters and tools and create a high-quality product. In addition to making sure that your videos are well-produced, make sure to tell a story. Post videos that are relevant and important to your audience – otherwise they won’t watch.
Instagram videos that are shared in the regular photo stream can be up to 60 seconds long. This provides a great opportunity for marketers to pack in a lot of information, but don’t feel like you need to use the entire time. Mix up your feed by posting shorter videos, too. Instagram is still highly scrollable – save long product videos and explanations for YouTube or Vimeo. Instagram video marketing works best when the videos visually delight the audience.

Engage with Your Community
Instagram videos should be fun and compelling to watch, but they should also encourage audience participation. Successful video marketing helps build your Instagram community and fosters brand loyalty. Ask your audience to interact with you – whether by reposting the video, adding a comment in response to a question, or hosting a contest.
Getting feedback from your audience goes beyond showing marketers which videos work best, it can help generate ideas to improve your business across the board. Whoever runs the video marketing account should also be ready to promptly respond to questions so that Instagram followers feel validated and respected.

Post at Peak Times
Peak posting time depends on a particular audience and their demographics – age, location, and more. Find out when your videos will get the most views and post at those times. Sharing videos when they are going to get the most views will result in more interaction, more shares, and more awareness for your brand.

Brands should track their targeted market to find the most accurate metrics, but studies have shown that Wednesdays and weekends – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – are the most effective times to post. Videos shared after 5 PM Eastern also receive a higher engagement rate.

Give Them a Reason to Watch
Why should your audience stop scrolling long enough to watch a video? Creative, eye-catching visuals are great ways to grab your audience’s attention. Telling a story will keep them watching, especially if your story appeals to your followers’ emotions.
Compelling videos can be created in a variety of different ways – whether it’s creative shooting with a time lapse of gravity-defying drone footage. Creativity is one of the most important elements in an Instagram video. Figure out what that looks like for your brand, budget, and video marketing goals and implement it in your posts.

Over 51% of the millions Instagram users check the platform daily and 35% visit more than once. This is a massive audience that marketers can tap into to drive engagement and cultivate new customers and fans. With over 95 million photos and videos shared each day, it’s important that brands recognize how the platform works and how to best leverage it for their brands. Posting videos on Instagram is an excellent way to drive interest and awareness in a brand. Successful videos are visually appealing, tell a story, and reveal a brand’s personality. The best brand videos are relevant to viewers and prompt conversation and engagement.
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